Making Sense of Mass Education gives a comprehensive overview of the cultural contexts of education, addressing and debunking important myths in the field. This book is an approachable text for undergraduate and postgraduate readers studying the Sociology and Philosophy of Education. The text covers the rise of mass schooling as a disciplinary institution, including the governance of subjectivity and the regulation of childhood and youth. It examines cultural forces on the field of education and addresses the influence of philosophical thought. In the landscape of mass education, change is constant. New topics covered in the fifth edition include education policy, teachers' work, place, online spaces and artificial intelligence. Each chapter features margin definitions and boxes exploring a range of myths, encouraging teachers to think critically. Making Sense of Mass Education continues to be pertinent for pre-service and practising teachers in Australian contexts.

Associate Professor Nerida Spina teaches and researches at Queensland University of Technology. Her research interests include educators' work, social justice, equity, education policy and the sociology of numbers. She has a particular interest in using institutional ethnographic research. Her research explores the everyday work of school leaders, teachers and pre-service teachers, and the impact of policy on their practices and lives. In examining educators' work, she explores those practices that make a difference to the lives and long-term trajectories of young people and communities, as well as examining what gets in the way. Dr Peter O'Brien teaches and researches at Queensland University of Technology. His research draws on studies of governmentality to explore the exercise of power and freedom in educational policy and practice in contemporary neoliberal polities. Dr Annetta Cayas teaches and researches at Queensland University of Technology. Her research explores everyday life at the intersection between families and schooling. She investigates how educational policy and school requirements for parent engagement impact the day-to-day experiences of young people, parents, families and educators. Professor Jenna Gillett-Swan teaches and researches at Queensland University of Technology. Her work aims to understand and address inequity and threats to wellbeing in students' and teachers' educational experiences through participatory rights-based approaches to educational transformation and school improvement. She works with students, educators, school leaders and support staff across primary, secondary and tertiary education contexts. Jenna is also the co-leader for the Health and Wellbeing Research Program within the Centre for Inclusive Education. Gordon Tait is an Adjunct Professor of Education at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. He researches and teaches in the sociology and philosophy of education, ethics, legal decision-making and qualitative research methods.